Assad Jets Bomb an Orphanage in Eastern Damascus as Rights Group Accuse Assad of War Crimes

Assad regime jets on Tuesday bombed an orphanage in the neighborhood of Jobar in eastern Damascus as regime offensive on eastern Ghouta continues despite the de-escalation agreement which was earlier reached in the Damascus suburbs. A rights group said that the Assad regime forces committed war crimes in July by targeting at least 25 vital civilian facilities.

Russia announced itself the sponsor and guarantor of the cease-fire agreement which took effect in eastern Ghouta on July 22.

Activists said that the regime airstrikes on the neighborhood of Jobar put the Tawk Al-Hamam orphanage out of service but reported no casualties as the facility had already been evacuated.

The intense bombardment on Jobar is aimed at isolating the ravaged neighborhood from eastern Ghouta, activists added. They pointed out that rebel fighters held off repeated attempts by regime forces to advance on Jobar and the adjacent neighborhood of Ayn Tarma.

Meanwhile, the Syrian Network for Human Rights (SNHR) said it had recorded no fewer than 546 attacks on vital civilian centers since the beginning of 2017, including 52 attacks in July. Regime forces were responsible for 25 attacks in July, the Network added.

In a report that was released on Tuesday, the watchdog group said that the vital civilian facilities that were targeted by attacks in July included 17 educational centers, 14 infrastructure facilities, 12 religious centers, 5 residential blocks, 3 medical centers, and one cultural center.

The report pointed out that regime forces were responsible for the biggest number of attacks on vital civilian centers. Investigations carried out by the group showed that there were no military headquarters in these centers either before or during the time of the attack. The report stressed that the Assad regime and other perpetrators of violations must answer for these attacks in front of the United Nations and the UN Security Council.

SNHR called on the UN Security Council to compel the Assad regime to implement UNSC resolution 2139 and to condemn the targeting of vital civilian centers. It also stressed the urgent need to impose a complete arms embargo on the Assad regime because of its flagrant violations of international law and the UN Security Council resolutions. (Source: Syrian Coalition’s Media Department + Agencies)